5 comments about The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships.

1. Excellent resource for how to deal with PA's and others-the book's no nonsense approach (yes, it's hard to change and yes your significants others will resist you), exercises, and examples give you inspiration without alot of nonsense and over the top 'you can do it' every paragraph.
   Accessible and easily readable, this practical guide will help you get what you need or establish your personal boundaries without all the new age style rhetoric.



2. If you're reading this review, you probably suspect that you have a problem with assertiveness, so take the first step towards improving your life by purchasing this book. If you have a problem saying no to unreasonable requests, if your legitimate and reasonable requests for what you need are repeatedly denied, ignored, or trivialized, if you feel surrounded by manipulative, controlling people, if you have been in a long-term verbally abusive relationship, if you are easily intimidated by aggressive people, or even if you're just mildly curious, this book will be invaluable to you. It's not just a quick read, though. It has thought-provoking exercises to help you determine why you have difficulty asserting yourself as well as practice exercises to prepare you to be assertive when the need arises. Even if you don't think you need improvement, this book is a great resource on communication.



3. This is an excellent book and very realistic and practical for use with day-to-day interactions with others.



4. Great resource. I tend to be overly aggressive, and read this to help me tone it down and just be assertive instead. I'd assume it would work equally as well for a passive or passive-agressive person looking to become more assertive as well. Contains lots of information on related behaviors, even gives some tips on controlling your breathing to calm you down in stressful situations that can lead to less than ideal responses on your behalf. Some chapters were irrelevant to my needs so I just skipped through them, but I'm sure they'd be useful to some.



5. This book is a great tool and really does help. You have to do the work as prescribed or you really will just waste your time. Realistically though simply reading a book couldn't possibly change a person without actually acting on the information. If you need help in this area get the book and use it, it is very helpful.

5 comments about Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate.

1. Couldn't put it down. It is a sturdy book with CDs and cards with to remind you of the teachings, etc. All in a sturdy gift-box. Love it, and it would make a great gift. Nice quality and clearly explains meditation for the layman using language appropriate to the teachings but not out of my reach as a beginner. Short personal anecdotes from the authors give the book authenticity.



2. Insight meditation provides a very clear and rich method for learning how to meditate.
   It becomes clear as well that meditation doesn't need to belong to a specific religion; although several religions are quoted in the book, it goes beyond; hence this course becomes practicable for everyone who seeks inner peace and freedom.



3. I really enjoy this package. It offers a multitude of techniques and practices to help a person become centered and focused. I encourage you to purchase this product.



4. I haven't worked through the entire book, but like what I've read so far. The guided meditations on CD are very helpful, as well.



5. Sharon Salzburg's voice, intonation, and word choice just seem to work for meditation. Breath Meditation and Meditation on Body Sensations are particularly good. I could do w/o the packaging, which includes study cards and a workbook. But the CD is tops!

5 comments about The Search For Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes.

1. I don't know how I managed to pick up this book, because I was searching for truth, not personal significance. But what a happy discovery! It was here I first learned principles both foundational and pertinent to my quest - for instance, that the focus of the Christian life is Christ, not rules and regulations, and that trying to make up for bad deeds with good ones does nothing more than send us into a useless "guilt-and-penance spiral."



2. I am overall pleased with the book. Though I was not expecting all the highlighting inside. Inadequate description.
   But the book is amazing.



3. I purchased this book as the basis for a short small group study. It has actually been one of the best Bible studies in which I have participated. For anyone who has ever questioned his/her own value or worth, this study provides many direct Biblical references confirming the truths that each of us is completely loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and absolutely complete in Christ!



4. I ordered 16 books for a women's gathering study. If you are looking for a book that tells the truth about how God values and loves you, this is the one. The focus is finding our significance/self value from God and not through our performances or the opinions of others. It is a book that leads to freedom.



5. This is a must read book to see yourself and life with hope and real happiness. You will experience freedom after believing the truth about yourself. I hope to share this with all those I know.

5 comments about Fabulosity: What It Is & How to Get It.

1. Well, first off, I had always been captivated by Kimora, and figured if anyone knows about being fabulous and could teach us a thing or two, it would be her. But after a couple chapters into the book, I felt that this was more about her out to clearly promote a certain image of herself, one apart from Russell, that she wants us all to have for some reason.... (grooming us for the ensuing divorce from him?).
   She carefully monitored her words through this,& repeatedly pounded an image she wanted to project of having "already made it big" in her teenage years WAAAY before her marriage to Russell Simmons. Oddly, the only reference of a modeling year that she refers to several times in the book was ..."when she was 13" . She made sure to try and appear to keep it real by injecting some experiences of human vulnerablity, and gave a few small glimpses (detailed descriptions) of her monied world, but spent much time referring back and repeating about this "great and extensive European $50k-a week modeling career" she supposedly had through high school, and how she learned to: live on her own in France, smartly taking control of her finances, conduct herself in business, and handle life's lessons...all at the age of 13! Hardly believable. Then looking at the provided photos in the book, I found it very curious that there was only 1 of her (pre-Russell Simmons) modeling years, a United Colors of Benneton ad, where she looks like an average pug-nosed teenager. So I Googled about 50 pages of Images for her and still found NOTHING of any modeling photos of her in that decade before marrying him. It seemed clear that her real objective for writing the book was to convince everyone that she had "made it" way before Russell Simmons came into her life, which I dont think anyone really cares (nor believes). I'm sure she was beautiful and fabby when they met, and Russell married her and elevated her into his monied life...so what?
   Now, I am interested and intrigued in the opulence of the rich & famous like anyone else, and I love to hear the anecdotes of the successsful, but Kimora just doesnt appear to really have any real depth from life's lessons to offer us, in that she went from being basically a teenager to marrying Russell. Its easier to be beautiful and fabby with lots of money, and obviously any of her hardships were always easily overcome with their money. She didnt present anything that showed real blood sweat and tears about her life, or any profundity. I would have rather have just read the truth from her and been intrigued by the power of money to solve problems, and the fun it can bring to a girl's life. Russell would probably have given us something with much more redeeming value if HE wrote the book!
   With the Baby Phat business, I'm sure she certainly must have gone through the guts of up-starting a business, but once again, the obstacles hurdled and the resolutions implemented took money to get through, (which she had, and which she did successfully), and so nothing inspiring there. Basically after reading completely through the book, I got the impression that she was still rather immature and a still-self absorbed game playing girly-girl for one now in her mid 30's. There ARE some good, inspiring quotes that she includes from other celebrities, like: "The thing women have yet to learn is no one gives you power, you just take it"(Roseanne Barr). These made me want to read books by THOSE people. Overall, I came away feeling that Kimora is highly calculative and probably thinks most of her readers were pretty easy to manipulate. There was some amusing things in there, but she doesnt really give of herself genuinely. If anyone, I think this book is best suited for early 20-somethings, who want to learn how to present a certain image, and possibly maximize their potential opportunities in the business world, or if you just want to become more intrigued by Kimora's self-promotion. Not really for a more matured (not talking 'old' here)audience that is already comfortable in their own skin, but are just looking for some profundity and inspiration for an elevated "image makeover" out of the soccer-mom lifestyle.



2. This book definitely reminds us of some good advices we typically tend to forget. It can in fact help you gain some confidence. It's also pleasant and easy to read.
   Nevertheless, I think that it would have been much nicer in a more concise form as, right now, it's really a "girly girly" book, which rather promotes its author, more than anything else.



3. Not much to say, but "fabulosity" is what it is! Kimora, thank you for contributing to society in many positive ways! Readers: Buy it and review it for yourself.



4. I sincerely enjoyed this book! I've read many books on the subject of how to build brands and businesses, but Kimora gave me exactly what I was looking for! She gave details on what it takes to brand a SUCCESSFUL company and I'm clear that successful branding starts with myself.
   
   If you're in the entertainment industry, this book is a must read for women who need that extra FLARE!
   
   Great novel Kimora! You're my new mentor!
   
   thecartelpublications.com



5. Kimora does a great job of explaining her point of view. Its an easy read and easy to relate to. I really enjoy her tips at the end of each chapter. I think she is Fab and so is her book! I will continue to support all that Kimora puts out!!

5 comments about A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Steps: The Classic Guide for All People in the Process of Recovery.

1. This book is an excellent resource for guiding someone through the twelve step process or for working the twelve steps as part of an individual recovery program. Each step requests detailed information which encourages the participant to dig deep into ones core beliefs, thoughts, and feelings as they pertain to themselves and the subject matter. I would recommend this book to anyone contemplating or interested in the 12-step process of recovery.



2. This book really is the gentle path out of addiction - works well with all 12-step groups. I also recommend "The Craving Brain".



3. The book is very helpful. The only concern that I have is that it tends to reiterate the need for a sponsor. Although a sponsor is greatly helpful in going through the steps...I wouldn't want anyone to quit doing the work just because they haven't had the courage to get one yet.



4. This book has been helpful in developing a lecture on Spirituality. It is an excellent resource for people in the early stages of recovery.



5. I am new to the 12 steps, and have found this book extremely helpful in getting to know myself,, something I have avoided for 60 years.. It has especially been helpful for a co-dependent of a sex/love addict. I really have not known what my part in the partnership was.. this book has helped me see what I need to work on myself.. I thought it was all "his fault".. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to grow personally and spritually.

5 comments about Flipping the Switch...: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ!.

1. I used this book for our annual staff retreat. It is great for employee development of personal accountability. This book has made a difference in the lives of my employees and subsequently in the culture of our company!



2. I think the book is so great that I purchased several copies for my employees to help them see what I saw...personal responsibility starts with ME! This books teaches you how to practically apply "giving" and "serving." It's about ME. I also think our politicians should read this book to learn what REAL personal responsibility is so that they can stop blaming the government for not doing enough.
   
   I'm responsible. It's about me. I change! It's not about them. It's MY life and I can change.



3. I liked the first book and it really got me thinking of all those IQ's in my life and how to get rid of them. I think I expected the same thing with this book but for whatever reason I came away feeling let down. It just seemed like less substance than the first and more of a fluff of highlights while trying to cling on to book 1. NOT a bad read but not as inspiring as the first.



4. Flipping the switch is a very enjoyable read in which the author John Miller is basically asking the question: Would you rather be part of the problem or the solution? To be part of the solution, all it takes, according to him, is a shift in perspective. Instead of asking "why me?" switch to "what can I do?". It is a simple shift, which takes you from the victim's chair into the driver's seat and allows you to experience satisfaction and transformation in all areas of your life.
   
   In this respect the book reminded me very much of the work of Ariel and Shya Kane Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation , How To Create a Magical Relationship and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. The Kanes also present the idea that a shift in perspective can transform your life instantaneously and take you from the realm of working on yourself and thinking, to the realm of being yourself and being enlightened. Instantaneous Transformation is accessible when you flip the switch and choose to be present in the moment rather than lost in your thoughts.
   
   I highly recommend both the work of John Miller and Ariel and Shya Kane to anybody looking to live a "bright" life!



5. Flipping the Switch is a great follow up to QBQ. The concept of QBQ is great but to really make it a core value, it takes follow up and understanding on the part of the leaders. This book helps leaders to understand what is needed to make personal accountability a core value. It is a little more to think about than QBQ, but very helpful. It will be part of the whole package of personal accountability for me.

5 comments about What Would Audrey Do?.

1. As a huge Hepburn fan, I found this book to be just...okay. There are no pics of Audrey, just mimikky drawings. And though the advice is good, I don't beleive Audrey Hepburn would have populated any store just because the author thinks she would if Audrey were alive today. Furthermore, the book suggests that you can only shop here or buy that to be "truly Audrey." But what everone needs is to carry her spirit more than her "look." Unfortuneately, this book never really shares this enough with the reader. A far better book would be "How To Be Lovely," by Mellisa Hellstern. It is brimming with quotes and photos of Audrey at every stage of her life, and isn't afraid to show the close-ups of Audrey as she aged without the help of a scalpel. Audrey Hepburn proved the old adage, To be beautiful on the outside, you must first be beautiful on the inside.



2. But I just couldn't get into it. I am a huge Audrey Hepburn fan and, after reading "What Would Jackie Do?" (a book that I absolutely love) I figured this book would be even better. It is just a biography of Audrey's life, lightly touching on how she would have handled particular situations. It was a good book, but the title was misleading. If you want a slightly different type of Audrey biography, then this is a good book. However, if you want a guide to living an Audrey-inspired life, you may not want to get this one-it will leave you disappointed.



3. Pamela Keogh ought to be talked to...This book is all about the money. I can't imagine anyone of Audrey's family or friends appreciating how she was exploited by Ms Keogh. Iron her shirts, sit up straight, be respectful...Somehow or the other, she was able to squeeze out as much nonsense out of commonsense everyday things. Yes Audrey was beautiful and talented. There is no doubt of this fact. However her personal experiences during WWII give her gravitas and genuineness that is lacking in our fluffy Paris Hilton world. Ms. Keogh just added more trivial matter to this already trivial world. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Ms. Keogh. How about a serious treatment of Ms. Hepburn instead of trying to rake in the cash. I don't think you admire her except for her sense of style which in my opinion can be had without reading your nonsense material.



4. What I liked about this book is that it looks at the values and the appeal of Audrey Hepburn without the breathless, fawning, ridiculously romanticized bias found in other recent biographies about her. The author has fun with her subject, which is rather bold when you're writing about a beloved and idolized icon.
   
   The author is as playfull with her subject as Holly Golightly, the role Audrey played with such luminosity in "Breakfast At Tiffany's."
   
   The writing is loose, full of quips and good advice. A lot of it is tongue-in-cheek, elegantly humorous, and charming--just like Audrey.



5. Pamela Keogh has done it again ! With her crisp writing style and witty turn of phrase, she takes the reader
   on a journey into the life of Audrey Hepburn in a way that is unique and charming. This book is as timely
   as it is informative and will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. For the first time.....I felt as though I had
   been a visitor in the life of this unique and unusual icon.....while at the same time viewing her in a way that
   was completely human. I intend to give this to everyone for Christmas !

5 comments about Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming.

1. LaBerge begins where his first book, LUCID DREAMING, left off, by recapping exactly what lucid dreaming is: the mind realizing that it is dreaming while the body remains asleep, producing a far more vivid dreamscape, one that can be controlled with enough practice.
   
   The book is first and foremost a user's guide: how can we access that wonderfully altered state called the lucid dream? Drawing upon his own research at the Lucidity Institute at Stanford University, as well as techniques drawn from psychology and Tibetan dream yoga, LaBerge has dozens of suggestions for entering the greatest themepark in existence: our dreaming brains. We dream about one-third of our entire lives, so why not make use of this time to enhance the quality of one's life?
   
   LaBerge provides a great deal of sound psychology behind his explanations and techniques, explaining the basic reasons why all humans dream in the first place. He acknowledges that lucid dreaming may be used for pure enjoyment if we want experience adventure, pleasure, or romance. Likewise, he notes that lucid dreaming can also be used to embrace our darker sides (as Jung suggested), turning darker dreams and nightmares into learning experiences to enhance self-knowledge and confidence, ultimately producing personality integration. Additionally, lucid dreaming may be used to practice for athletic or artistic events of any kind. There's simply no limit to the applications of "waking dreams."
   
   LaBerge goes beyond these applications, however, to more serious considerations, showing that lucid dreaming can have the same type of transformative effect on people as near-death experiences if we surrender our egos and allow the dream to take us where it wants instead of trying to always control it. It is in these exciting chapters that we see lucid dreaming as a tremendous technique to reach states of higher consciousness without gurus, how-to books, or seminars. It's all right within our brains.
   
   Some of the techniques are very simple, such as "reality checks" during the day, when we ask ourselves whether or not we are dreaming. Others are as easy as autosuggestion or keeping a dream diary to increase dream recall (very important in all techniques). Other techniques get a bit more involved and can be frustrating (although LaBerge has since manufactured several kinds of dream masks worn at bedtime which detect REM sleep and signal the brain that it is dreaming via tiny blinking lights that do not awaken the dreamer).
   
   Other metaphysical aspects are discussed, such as whether or not the physical body can be healed of disease if the dream body is healed since lucid dreams tap into the brain at a very deep level. And can we share lucid dreams with others or make contact with other dreamers who are aiming for the same dream traget on any given night? LaBerge even notes that he has had at least one precognitive lucid dream that probably saved his son's life.
   
   The practice of lucid dreaming has become more popular over the past decade, but this book remains the most reliable source of information on the phenomenon as well as the best place to research ways to enter the lucid dream state.
   
   It's probably the finest, most comprehensive book on dreams that's in print.



2. Consider this affirmation:
   
   "The next time I'm dreaming, I will recognize that I'm dreaming."
   
   The problem with this self-referential, paradoxical, circular reasoning, is that, when you "wake up in a dream," you do NOT think, "I am dreaming now, so what was it I was gonna recognize?"
   
   That's why you would need the last part in the first place. You need to recognize your dreaming FIRST, before you can prepare yourself for what to do when it happens.
   
   Instead, I would recommend you ask yourself while AWAKE, "Am I dreaming?" At every hour. Contract that habit and soon it will reside in residual droppings in your dream.
   
   Also get into the habit of flipping lights on and off. It won't work if your dreaming.



3. I've only had one lucid dream so far and it was before reading this book, so I can't speak to the effectiveness of the techniques presented. But I can say two things. One, the authors seem to know what they are talking about and have plenty of experience with the subject matter both from personal lucid dreams and scientific research and the book brings that across loud and clear. Two, this one is written from a scientific and not a metaphysical perspective. The authors believe all altered consciousness is a lucid dream and there is no such thing as out of body experiences. I'm fine with that and will be making my own decision, but there are others who believe we are out of our body every night and that all lucid dreams are actually OBE's to some extent...or at least that true OBE's and dreams overlap. I think both views are important for making your own decision. There is no doubt true OBE's happen at least to those who have been Near Death. Whether they can be induced apart from lucid dreams is another question which I haven't answered. Good luck.



4. The book is one the reader's best tools both for understanding lucid dreaming and for holding one's own experiments. Laberge has conveyed the complexities of sleep research in a way that is both entertaining and easily understood, without omitting the necessary details of his Stanford research.



5. There is a lot of interesting information. The author hasn't verified a number of things to which he refers and some of the references are cursory, for example those to Castaneda's techniques.
   
   I applied his procedure, starting with keeping a note book, etc. While I have several vivid dreams every night, probably as a result of remembering them by writing them down, none of them have been lucid. Perhaps it just requires more time and diligence.

5 comments about Living Your Strengths: Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your Community.

1. Excellent book. We are using it with all our staff and small groups in our congregations.



2. We have developed a weekend program around this book to use as a minsitry tool. Those who have participated have been been enriched through discovering their strenghts and how they can use their strenghts in their daily work life. Paticipants have also discovered ways to offer their strenghts to serve at church. The on-line survey is a wonderful tool. In addition to being accurate it gives participants the option to pick a time conveient in their schedule to go online and complete it in a private setting.



3. Are you on the right track? Do you wonder about why you love doing certain things and dislike others? Do you wonder why you react in certain ways? Are you looking for a better way to make right decisions, enjoy peace of mind, and live in harmony with others. This may be the book for you.
   
   "Living Your Strengths" is an extension of "strengths" research begun more than forty years ago by Dr. Donald Clifton of the Gallup Organization. Clifton researched the natural patterns of thought, feeling, and action of two million people in more than 25 countries. The result is the Clifton "StrengthsFinder," a tool that reveals a person's top five themes of talent - one's "Signature Themes."
   
   A "Strength" is the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity. This ability is a powerful, productive combination of talent, skill, and knowledge. Talents are naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. Unlike skills and knowledge, talents exist within you and cannot be acquired. We must first need to identify, affirm, and apply our unique mix of talents then apply them.
   
   Clifton's research highlights folly of the widely used "weakness prevention" model - to be successful, we must "fix" our weaknesses. This thinking is wrong. Building a life around one's greatest natural abilities rather than trying to repair weaknesses is the path to success.
   
   The book is organized around the use of the StrengthsFinder (provided with the purchase of the book) to identify, assess and affirm our Signature Themes (talents), and how to apply them for growth and life success. There are thirty four identified talents ranging from achiever, maximizer, ideation, individualization, and significance to woo.
   
   The Signature Themes are unique to the individual. According to Gallup, the chance of finding someone with your Signature Themes, in the same order, is 1 in 33 million and the chance of finding someone with your top ten themes of talent is 1 in 3 trillion. Finding one's themes and understanding their uniqueness should help one to gain a better appreciation of how special they are and how special the people around them are - deeper self-respect, deeper mutual respect.
   
   Most of us generally are not harnessing the power of our innate gifts. We are not fulfilling our purpose...we do not even know it! "Living Your Strengths" provides a tool so we can assess our talents and harness them in the betterment of ourselves, our families, and the various communities we participate in.



4. Because the book describes each of the many different talents, it does not get into depth with any of them. It is a helpful basic resource, but I was hoping for more.



5. My moms group at our parish decided to get these books and do the strengthfinders quiz, mostly out of curiosity to understand ourselves and each other better. So I've taken the quiz and was given my top five strengths, and read the book. To be brutially honest (which, by the way, is one of my top five strengths!), much like an astrology report, it seems most anyone could randomly flip open the book to one of the 34 strengths and say "yeah, that sounds a bit like me." Conversly, at least one of my five is not very much like me, and actually directly contradicts one of my others. The idea beind the "top five" really pigeonholes otherwise well-rounded people; and, by the way, the book says being well-rounded is equal to being down-right dull.
   
   I also feel this book and test offers little insight to oneself as to what your strengths are. If you are aquainted with yourself at all, you already know that you may or may not enjoy, say, public speaking. You don't need this test to confirm what you already know. Most of what you learn is not going to be a suprise. It may be easier for a large organization like Gallup to screen applicants with this test rather than sit down and ask each applicant his/her talents, it is also unfair in that I think most people will have many more than five talents, and may not even use their "top five" very much.

5 comments about Mind Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Using Your Brain.

1. It's a book very interested about language in mind and speech comprehension. I read a short comment in BBC Focus magazine and I wish to read because it's very easy to learn the misteries of mind in cognitive science applied to language and psichology.



2. I was sorely disappointed in this book--I checked it out from the local library and hoped that it would actually live up to the subtitle of including tips and tools for using my brain. It didn't; the few "tips" included were those that are found in virtually every other discussion of how to improve memory.
   
   This book is more geared toward folks who are designing user interfaces--it talks about how the brain processes information (and thus describes ways to improve information conveyance).



3. This is a really great book. More novelty than improvement, but still great. If you're looking for something that will be useful as well as attention grabbing then look for the second edition; "Mind Performance Hacks"



4. Learning about the mind is okay, but I didn't learn anything that I hadn't seen in Psych 101, and a few interesting articles later on.
   
   Calling it a "hacks" book is false advertising, at best. Should it make it to another printing, I would hope O'Reilly would rename it.
   
   The information seemed accurate, so I'll give it that.



5. This book isn't about "hacking your brain" at all. What it really is is an overview of neuroscience, presented as 100 different topics which talk about how the brain works. Ever wonder how our brain figures out which direction sound comes from? Or how we pick out patterns in chaos? Or how we construct our vision of the world? Not only does it explain it in a very accessible fashion, but it gives hyperlinks to things online which have mp3s or jpegs which help demonstrate the point so that you can verify for yourself that it's how it works.